Remote sensing of glacier- and permafrost-related hazards in high mountains: an overview

Kääb, Andreas; Huggel, Christian; Fischer, Luzia; Guex, S.; Paul, Frank; Roer, I.; Salzmann, Nadine; Schlaefli, S.; Schmutz, K.; Schneider, Daniel; Strozzi, Tazio; Weidmann, Yvo

doi:10.5194/nhess-5-527-2005

Cited by 231 publications

(155 citation statements)

References 146 publications

(189 reference statements)

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“…Here, the SRTM version with 3 arcsec spatial resolution, that is approximately 90 m, was used (SRTM3). In order to have a second DTM with a potentially better spatial resolution and to analyse the influence of the DTM accuracy on the modelled flows, DTMs with a grid size of 30 m and 60 m respectively were processed from the March 2001 Terra/ASTER channels 3N (nadir looking) and 3B (looking 27.6 • back from nadir; Kääb, 2005;Kääb et al, 2005). The spatial resolutions of 90 m, 60 m and 30 m for terrain elevation data is considered to be adequate for an initial, largescale hazard assessment of the entire Iztaccíhuatl edifice.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing lahars from ice-capped volcanoes using ASTER satellite data, the SRTM DTM and two different flow models: case study on Iztaccíhuatl (Central Mexico)

Schneider

Granados

Huggel

et al. 2008

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Lahars frequently affect the slopes of ice-capped volcanoes. They can be triggered by volcano-ice interactions during eruptions but also by processes such as intense precipitation or by outbursts of glacial water bodies not directly related to eruptive activity. We use remote sensing, GIS and lahar models in combination with ground observations for an initial lahar hazard assessment on Iztaccíhuatl volcano (5230 m a.s.l.), considering also possible future developments of the glaciers on the volcano. Observations of the glacial extent are important for estimations of future hazard scenarios, especially in a rapidly changing tropical glacial environment. In this study, analysis of the glaciers on Iztaccíhuatl shows a dramatic retreat during the last 150 years: the glaciated area in 2007 corresponds to only 4% of the one in 1850 AD and the glaciers are expected to survive no later than the year 2020. Most of the glacial retreat is considered to be related to climate change but in-situ observations suggest also that geo-and hydrothermal heat flow at the summit-crater area can not be ruled out, as emphasized by fumarolic activity documented in a former study. However, development of crater lakes and englacial water reservoirs are supposed to be a more realistic scenario for lahar generation than sudden ice melting by rigorous volcano-ice interaction. Model calculations show that possible outburst floods have to be larger than ∼5×10 5 m 3 or to achieve an H/L ratio (Height/runout Length) of 0.2 and lower in order to reach the populated lower flanks. This threshold volume equals 2.4% melted ice of Iztaccíhuatl's total ice volume in 2007, assuming 40% water and 60% volumetric debris content of a potential lahar. The model sensitivity analysis reveals important effects of the generic type of the Digital Terrain ModelCorrespondence to: D. Schneider (demian.schneider@geo.uzh.ch) (DTM) used on the results. As a consequence, the predicted affected areas can vary significantly. For such hazard zonation, we therefore suggest the use of different types of DTMs and flow models, followed by a careful comparison and interpretation of the results.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing lahars from ice-capped volcanoes using ASTER satellite data, the SRTM DTM and two different flow models: case study on Iztaccíhuatl (Central Mexico)

Schneider

Granados

Huggel

et al. 2008

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

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“…Varying conditions of sea-ice-covered and sea-icefree coastal waters, as well as the presence or absence of banks of snow at the cliff bottom, lead to large reflectance variabilities between acquisitions, making radiometric calibration almost impossible. These conditions lead to problems with automated change detection techniques, examples of which are given in Kääb et al (2005).…”

Section: Data Fusion and Change Detectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observing Muostakh disappear: permafrost thaw subsidence and erosion of a ground-ice-rich island in response to arctic summer warming and sea ice reduction

Günther

Overduin

Yakshina³

et al. 2015

The Cryosphere

161

172

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Abstract.Observations of coastline retreat using contemporary very high resolution satellite and historical aerial imagery were compared to measurements of open water fraction, summer air temperature, and wind. We analysed seasonal and interannual variations of thawing-induced cliff top retreat (thermo-denudation) and marine abrasion (thermoabrasion) on Muostakh Island in the southern central Laptev Sea. Geomorphometric analysis revealed that total ground ice content on Muostakh is made up of equal amounts of intrasedimentary and macro ground ice and sums up to 87 %, rendering the island particularly susceptible to erosion along the coast, resulting in land loss. Based on topographic reference measurements during field campaigns, we generated digital elevation models using stereophotogrammetry, in order to block-adjust and orthorectify aerial photographs from 1951 and GeoEye, QuickBird, WorldView-1, and WorldView-2 imagery from 2010 to 2013 for change detection. Using sea ice concentration data from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) and air temperature time series from nearby Tiksi, we calculated the seasonal duration available for thermo-abrasion, expressed as open water days, and for thermo-denudation, based on the number of days with positive mean daily temperatures. Seasonal dynamics of cliff top retreat revealed rapid thermo-denudation rates of −10.2 ± 4.5 m a −1 in mid-summer and thermo-abrasion rates along the coastline of −3.4 ± 2.7 m a −1 on average during the 2010-2013 observation period, currently almost twice as rapid as the mean rate of −1.8 ± 1.3 m a −1 since 1951. Our results showed a close relationship between mean summer air temperature and coastal thermo-erosion rates, in agreement with observations made for various permafrost coastlines different to the East Siberian Ice Complex coasts elsewhere in the Arctic. Seasonality of coastline retreat and interannual variations of environmental factors suggest that an increasing length of thermo-denudation and thermo-abrasion process simultaneity favours greater coastal erosion. Coastal thermoerosion has reduced the island's area by 0.9 km 2 (24 %) over the past 62 years but shrank its volume by 28 × 10 6 m 3 (40 %), not least because of permafrost thaw subsidence, with the most pronounced with rates of ≥ −11 cm a −1 on yedoma uplands near the island's rapidly eroding northern cape. Recent acceleration in both will halve Muostakh Island's lifetime to less than a century.

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“…The correlation of the two DEMs, described by Kääb et al (2005), was not successful because of numerous data voids in both DEMs. Instead, we determine the mean shift by minimizing the standard deviation of the difference between the two DEMs outside glaciers, similarly to what was done to evaluate geolocation errors of SRTM-DEM (Rodriguez et al, 2006).…”

Section: Planimetric Adjustment Of the Demsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remote sensing estimates of glacier mass balances in the Himachal Pradesh (Western Himalaya, India)

Berthier¹,

Arnaud

Kumar

et al. 2007

Remote Sensing of Environment

488

350

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Although they correspond to an important fraction of the total area of mountain glaciers (33000 km 2 out of 546000 km 2 ), Himalayan glaciers and their mass balance are poorly sampled. For example, between 1977 and1999, the average area surveyed each year on the field was 6.8 km 2 only. No direct mass balance measurement is available after 1999. To contribute to fill this gap, we use remote sensing data to monitor glacier elevation changes and mass balances in the Spiti/Lahaul region (32.2°N, 77.6°E, Himachal Pradesh, Western Himalaya, India). The 2004 DEM is derived from two SPOT5 satellite optical images without any ground control points. This is achieved thanks to the good on-board geolocation of SPOT5 scenes and using SRTM elevations as a reference on the ice-free zones. Before comparison on glaciers, the two DEMs are analyzed on the stable areas surrounding the glaciers where no elevation change is expected. Two different biases are detected. A long wavelength bias affects the SPOT5 DEM and is correlated to an anomaly in the roll of the SPOT5 satellite. A bias is also observed as a function of altitude and is attributed to the SRTM dataset. Both biases are modeled and removed to permit unbiased comparison of the two DEM on the 915 km 2 ice-covered area digitized from an ASTER image.On most glaciers, a clear thinning is measured at low elevations, even on debris-covered tongues. Between 1999 and 2004, we obtain an overall specific mass balance of -0.7 to -0.85 m/a (water equivalent) depending on the density we use for the lost (or gained) material in the accumulation zone. This rate of ice loss is twice higher than the long-term (1977 to 1999) mass balance record for Himalaya indicating an increase in the pace of glacier wastage. To assess whether these ice losses are size-dependant, all glaciers were classified into three samples according to their areal extent. All three samples show ice loss, the loss being higher for glaciers larger than 30 km 2 . In the case of the benchmark Chhota Shigri glacier, a good agreement is found between our satellite observations and the mass balances measured on the field during hydrological years 2002-2003 and 2003-2004. Future studies using a similar methodology could determine whether similar ice losses have occurred in other parts of the Himalaya and may allow evaluation of the contribution of this mountain range to ongoing sea level rise.

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Remote sensing of glacier- and permafrost-related hazards in high mountains: an overview

Cited by 231 publications

References 146 publications

Assessing lahars from ice-capped volcanoes using ASTER satellite data, the SRTM DTM and two different flow models: case study on Iztaccíhuatl (Central Mexico)

Assessing lahars from ice-capped volcanoes using ASTER satellite data, the SRTM DTM and two different flow models: case study on Iztaccíhuatl (Central Mexico)

Observing Muostakh disappear: permafrost thaw subsidence and erosion of a ground-ice-rich island in response to arctic summer warming and sea ice reduction

Remote sensing estimates of glacier mass balances in the Himachal Pradesh (Western Himalaya, India)

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